 A Newport Harbor player shoots between two Corona del Mar defenders in a matchup Wednesday night at Newport Harbor High. ROD VEAL, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER |
It's a foggy, frantic finish for Corona del Mar
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Girls water polo: The Sea Kings score two late goals to defeat Newport Harbor, 5-3, in Holiday Cup final.
Newport Harbor's girls water polo team didn't just stay close with top-ranked Corona del Mar, the No. 3 Sailors had the score tied with less than three minutes left.
But crunch-time belonged to Corona del Mar in the Holiday Cup final on Wednesday night.
Leslee Kaczmarek and Margot Money each scored late goals, and goalie Kate Baldoni made five of her 12 saves in the fourth period as Corona del Mar (10-0) beat its Back Bay rival, 5-3, at Newport Harbor (5-3).
With steam rising from the heated pool because of the cold and moist air, Kaczmarek snapped a 3-3 tie by tossing in a floating shot from almost midpool with 2:44 left. The senior's shot glanced off a side post and narrowly beat the shot clock.
Money's goal also didn't take a direct route. The junior scored her match-high third goal with 1:36 left on a power-play strike that was deflected by a Newport Harbor in front of the goal.
Before the two-goal flurry, Newport Harbor had held Corona del Mar scoreless for almost 15 minutes while erasing a two-goal deficit.
"I was scared," Corona del Mar coach Aaron Chaney said. "Newport was pressing us in the end, and we weren't moving. … Both teams just play really good defense."
In the teams' nonleague match Dec. 19, Corona del Mar took a 4-0 lead into the fourth period and posted a comfortable 6-3 victory.
On Wednesday, Newport Harbor trailed 3-1 at halftime but cut the deficit to one on Kathryn Manderino's second power-play goal with 2:32 left in the third. Katie Jackson recorded the assist and in the fourth, tied the score, 3-3, by firing her own power-play shot through Baldoni with 4:35 left.
Newport Harbor made the surge without starter Kate Klippert, who fouled out with 5:20 left in the third.
In a testment of the physical play, the teams combined for 22 fouls, including one just before the final buzzer.
"It's always a battle," Money said of the physical play. "That's what it's called, 'Battle of the Bay.' "
Neither team capitalized on their scoring chances on the power play.
Corona del Mar went 2 for 11 with the extra attacker; Newport Harbor went 3 for 9 and also had a first-period penalty blocked by Baldoni.
"They honestly had opportunities to tie the game earlier and didn't and we had opportunities at the same time to go up by a couple more - earlier than we did," Chaney said. "I just thought that we should have put some shots away."
Newport Harbor goalie Kristen Burger also played well with nine saves. The junior stopped a breakaway late in the second period and recorded three saves against Corona del Mar's power play.
Baldoni made four saves against Newport Harbor's power play.
In the third-place match:
Dos Pueblos 10, Foothill 5: Sami Hill had 11 saves to lead the Chargers (9-2) past the Knights (4-4).
Contact the writer: dalbano@ocregister.com
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